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Ethereal (XCOM: Enemy Unknown)
Ethereals are enemy commanders in XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Description The Ethereal are physically frail. Their bodies have atrophied up to the point where the only thing keeping them alive is their mental ability. Some of their organs are underdeveloped with some sensory organs not working at all. Their brain, however, is very well developed and requires the largest blood supply in their body. Identifying themselves as the leaders of the alien collective, it is suggested that the Ethereals forced the numerous other races to evolve and then add themselves to the hive mind, becoming servants to the Ethereals; e.g. the Sectoids genetically adapted themselves to have mind control abilities. This is further demonstrated by the fact that many of the alien species subordinate to the Ethereals have implants, most notably those with Psionic ability. The first Ethereal is encountered during the Overseer Crash Site mission; if playing XCOM: Enemy Within, it is possible to encounter an Ethereal first during the XCOM Base Defense mission instead. Ethereals then replace Sectoid Commanders on any UFO Crash Site or UFO Landing Site mission thereafter. Ethereals are typically accompanied by one or more Muton Elites. Abilities Traits Research * Ethereal Autopsy - Unlocks Mind Shield production * Interrogate Ethereal - Grants All Technology research credit Tactics Ethereals are formidable opponents and fighting them should not be taken lightly. Ethereals are extremely durable with 20 health (25 on Impossible), 40 Defense coupled with the Hardened trait (practically giving them permanent full cover), and an innate psionic shielding ability that can reflect shots back at the firing soldier for reduced damage (33% of the original attack)DefaultGameCore.ini. Game file. XCOM: Enemy Within (2013).; even Suppressing shots can be reflected. However, explosive damage from rockets and grenades cannot. Ethereals have a standard movement range but their ability to float while moving gives them slightly more mobility than one might expect. Above all it is an Ethereal's psionic powers and high Will that makes them most dangerous. Ethereals can easily Mind Control most soldiers (especially ones that ranked up without the benefit of Iron Will training), although they generally seem to prefer the use of Psi Lance or Mind Fray to inflict damage instead. Ethereals also have the ability to drain health from allied units, using it to heal themselves at the expense of their support troops. This ability extends to your XCOM soldiers when mind controlled, so exercise caution when selecting abilities. Their final ability is Rift, which summons a vicious maelstrom of psionic power with a large blast range (5 squares) and high damage potential (up to 15); be wary of grouping soldiers too tightly unless they are close enough to the Ethereal that it would risk damaging itself with this ability. Even in death, Ethereals pose a threat, as they release a withering flare of psionic power upon dying, dealing 4 damage to all units within a small radius and potentially damaging ship components. However, in XCOM: Enemy Within, Ethereals killed with a MEC's Kinetic Strike Module do not explode. Although an Ethereal's high Will grants it superior resistance to psionic attacks and, while not recommended, attacking an Ethereal with Psi abilities isn't impossible. In order to do it your Psionic soldier will need: a Mind Shield, high amounts of Will (e.g. Psi Armor), and a squad right behind them in case something goes wrong. Fighting an Ethereal at its own game is tough, but if you do manage to Mind Control it, you will get the "Xavier" achievement as well as knowledge of the Ethereal's abilities, movements range, and defenses in single player mode. Despite their high Will rating, Ethereals can be panicked by using a MEC's Flamethrower on them. Multiplayer Ethereals cost 10500 points, so they are unusable in ranked matches. However they are still a powerful unit in Multiplayer, especially the Rift ability which can do a large amount of damage so long as the targets have a low Will (it also has an effect on robotic units and it kills Cyberdiscs outright). Trivia *Despite being described as frail in physical structure and physique, Ethereals have health pools comparable to Muton Elites and Berserkers, alongside with a significantly higher Defense rating, making them in fact, the most sturdy organic enemy in XCOM: Enemy Unknown. It is said by Doctor Vahlen, however, that they possess "an incredible pool of psionic energy." This, coupled with their high Defense, ability to reflect projectiles, and resistance to critical hits, can lead one to assume that their hardiness is a result of their incredible psionic powers. *It is possible that these Ethereals are the fallen versions of the Ethereals from The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, who are made of pure psionic energy. *Given that in The Bureau the 'pure' Ethereals composed of energy were able to possess and inhabit humans such as William Carter, and assuming the Ethereals of both games are related or the same, it is possible the Ethereals' campaign on Earth was meant to create a new breed of physical shells. *Since Ethereals' physical forms in XCOM: Enemy Unknown are frail and atrophied, and the Uber Ethereal's dialogue in the final mission hinting that their invasion was to find the perfect specimen, it is highly likely that their final intent was to breed humans to become the eventual new hosts to their 'pure' forms, given that humans have both psionic and physical prowess. See Also * Uber Ethereal - The final boss, an improved version of the Ethereal. Gallery Concept - XEU Ethereal.jpg|Concept Art Concept - Ethereal1.jpg|Concept Art Kenjibliss-xcom-enemy-unknown-elder-alien-head-concepts-3.jpg|Concept Art Kenjibliss-xcom-enemy-unknown-elder-alien-helmet-concept.jpg|Concept Art Kenjibliss-xcom-enemy-unknown-elder-alien-robe-concepts.jpg|Concept Art Concept - Ethereal2.jpg|Concept Art Concept - Ethereal3.jpg|Concept Art Concept - Ethereal.jpg|Concept Art Concept - Ethereal4.jpg|Concept Art XEU Ethereal close.jpg|Ethereals are rarely encountered alone. XComEW_Ethereal_arms.png|Ethereal XEU Ethereal dying.jpg|Dying ethereal XCOM(EU) Ethereal Death.jpg|Dying Ethereal References Category:Enemies (XCOM: Enemy Unknown)